Big John Buscema: Comics and Drawings

Italian-American Giovanni Natale Buscema was born in Brooklyn and grew up dreaming of becoming a painter. He studied at the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan and the Pratt Institute. At a younger age, he got a job as a comic artist with Timely Comics, which would later on become Marvel. After a training period in which he made all kinds of comics, from fantasy to westerns and even romance, he had to leave the industry when comics sales plummeted at the end of '50s. He entered the advertising field, where he remained most of the next decade. In 1966, Stan Lee offered him the opportunity to come back to Marvel. Comics were a good business again and change was in the air. Buscema became a main player in those changes. He drew Avengers, Namor and, after Kirby's departure, Thor and Fantastic Four. Buscema's style became one of the most distinctive in the company, the example to follow due to his strength and good storytelling. He reached his peak with the Silver Surfer, the series that made him a cult favorite. Buscema is a legend due to his mastery of anatomy and the dynamics of his figures. He proved his skills with one of the most popular characters of the '70s: Conan. Buscema, with writer Roy Thomas, created a new archetype that will remain a beacon in comics history. Many other characters have passed through his magic hands: Tarzan, Wolverine, Punisher, Doc Savage, Ka-Zar ... To all, he brought strength and truth. Buscema's drawing is amazing in its simplicity. He is direct and with no complications, elegant in a natural way. He is, without a doubt, one of the finest realistic artists to ever grace the comics page.